Happy
by sprntrl grl
Summary: Roxanne Weasley has a talk with her father about Uncle Fred and being happy. Post DH. Reviews would be appreciated.


A/N: My second Harry Potter fic... I'm not too sure about the ending, so if you would all be so kind as to leave a review, let me know what you think, etc., that would be much appreciated. :)

Oh, and this is my twentieth story up here! Yay! Now, that, if anything else, deserves a review. ;) - sprntrl grl

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The Weasleys had suffered a great deal. Everyone had reeled at the loss of Fred, favorite brother and classic prankster, but none more than George. He hadn't just lost a brother, he had lost his best friend. He had lost a part of himself that he could never regain.

The day was fast approaching that made him want to curl up under a blanket and die, joining his twin and finding that missing piece that he had been searching for. He always wished he could fall asleep the night before, and wake up after it had passed, missing all the memories and forced smiles. While the day for everyone else spoke of victory over Voldemort, triumph over tyranny, for George it was only the anniversary of the day he lost everything.

Sitting in his home office, George stayed in his chair and stared at the calendar. The date was not marked with any special note or anything of the sort, but George would never forget the day his brother died. He would never forget how it felt when he'd found out what had happened – although he had known before he'd seen the body. It was like a pall hung over him, separating him from everyone else – sometimes, for fleeting moments he could escape from underneath its oppressive barrier, but it would fight its way back over him. The pall had remained over him for all these years, never yielding for long, despite his valiant fight.

George put his head in his hands and closed his eyes, trying to forget about his twin brother. The holidays and birthdays made everything worse. Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed a noise from the hallway. The door opened, bringing with it brighter light, causing George to look up. His daughter, Roxanne, stood in the doorway, all of six years old.

"Daddy?"

George saw that she looked close to tears. "What is it, Roxy?" he asked, and she came to him, wiping her eyes and wanting to be comforted. She climbed into his lap.

"Freddie says you'll never be happy."

George felt a pang as he realized in a way, his eldest son was right. "Well, Freddie's wrong. 'Course I'll be happy."

Roxy shook her head. "No you won't. You're never happy. It's not our fault, is it?" she asked, worried.

George was appalled. "No! Of course not! Why would you think that?"

Roxy started to cry. "Because you're _always_ sad, Daddy. You always look sad when someone says Fred's name. No matter what me or Freddie do, you still seem sad. You always look at those pictures of you and Uncle Fred and everyone else from before the war."

George hugged his daughter, feeling her tears soaking his shirt. "Roxy, I swear, me being sad has nothing to do with you or your brother. I love you both. I just miss Uncle Fred, is all, more than everyone else, I guess."

"Why?"

This simple question startled George, and it took him a moment before he could answer her. "Uncle Fred was my twin brother. He and I were really close. We started Wizard Wheezes together, with the help of Uncle Harry. He was my best friend, too, in a way, and we left Hogwarts together in our seventh year, because of this Ministry woman," he explained. Roxy nodded. She had heard the story countless times. "We were never without each other."

Roxanne said, "It just seems like you're never happy, Daddy."

George nodded. "I know," he said quietly. "It just hurts to think of him."

"Well, wouldn't Uncle Fred have not wanted you to be sad?"

George gave a little laugh. "Yeah, he'd be calling me a git right about now," he chuckled.

"So why can't you be happy? Wouldn't Uncle Fred have wanted it?"

George was quiet, before he said, "I'm trying. I love you and your brother and mother very much. I _am_ happy, just not the way I was before."

Seeing that this was not going to fully satisfy his daughter, he said, "I'll try to be happier, okay?"

Roxy nodded. "I don't think Uncle Fred would want you to keep thinking of him and being sad," she said quietly.

"I know," said George. "What would I do without you?" He smiled and hugged his daughter. "I love you, Roxy."

Meanwhile, somewhere far away, Fred sat watching his brother and his niece. "Git," he said idly, shaking his head. "It's about time you stopped being a depressed idiot."


End file.
